Key Post: Neighbours - noise/nuisance/security problems etc.

Many others must have/had this problem. Neighbours dog keeps barking at night. As in midnight, 1am, 2 am, starts back up at 6am. They couldn't give a toss. This is not good, has everyone in my house driven mad...
Anyone know what exactly the position on A)getting him shut up is B) where does the law stand on this?
thanks!

Re: Noice from a dog barking at night

See comments re noise pollution district court procedure in

Re: Noice from a dog barking at night

What about dogs (a) that can't read and (b) don't have a law degree? :lol

Re: Noice from a dog barking at night

Yes problem can be most distressing. The problem is that the dog probably isn't getting enough exercise, or attention. People buy these dogs and just leave them in their back garden.

It's cruel for the dog and the neighbours that have to listen to it. In a previous thread, I posted a more extreme solution (and probably more humane) However, as was pointed out at the time, it was an illegal solution.

Link ?

AP, can you please link to that thread ?

Re: Noice from a dog barking at night

Have a look at the DAZER on this site www.radiofence.ie/

Woof

There is actually a specific action which can be taken in the district court under the Control of Dogs Act 1986 for excessive barking. I would recommend however that you initially send your neighbour a letter by registered post indicating that the excessive barking is a cause of upset, nuisance etc to you and giving them a reasonable period to deal with the problem- say two weeks- or to advise you of the steps they are going to take to rectify the problem. If they do not deal with it, then go ahead and have the relevant summons issued and served on them ( contact a solicitor to help you or if you want to deal with it yourself, try the District court office). It is important to remember that if it does go to court, the judge will look more kindly on your application if you have independant verification of the problem- so if you could get another neighbour to come and give evidence or even better, if you know a guard who would give evidence as to the excessive barking ( obviously he'd have to have heard it) it would be better for you as otherwise its only your word against theirs and they may not admit to any problem...

Re: Woof

as a matter of interest how is the owner ment to stop the dog from barking?? chances are they are even more fustrated than u are.

re

Does anyone know any natural solution for this? I'm having the same problem, neighbour bought dog for his 3 kids in October, bloody thing hasn't stopped yapping since. It wasn't too bad until this week, the dog was kept out the back of the house and my bedroom is at the front of house. But now they have moved him to front of house for some unknown reason. The children just seem to wind him up, they play with him for about 5 mins at a the time and then tie him up and play on the footpath with their friends. Dog goes mad, because he can see them etc. but they take no notice of him. Neighbour is a bit surly to say the least, I know he wouldn't take any action if I said it to him.
Am I entitled to throw water on the dog to try and shut him up? Does anything work? shouting at him to shut up does no good at at all.
also, he seems to prefer to 'do his business' on our lawn instead of theirs. There is no one in my house during the day, so we can't stop him coming in, but its getting beyond a joke to find a fresh turd every evening on return...

Re: re

Try the radiofence link above, it provides an invisible barrier to contain the dog, of course send the neighbours the bill, the dog is their responsibility. I wouldnt be a fan of the collar thing though (shocking the dog) but it does border on reglect if the dog is left there all day, they crave companionship and need attention, maybe the local animal inspector could be asked to contact the owners to question if everything is ok? At least prompt them into taking some action?

..

It's normal for a dog (particularly a puppy) to take a while to adjust to its new circumstances and some disruption (i.e. barking) can be expected during this time. However, it also implicit that the owner should take all reasonable steps to shorten this period by as much as possible and to be a responsible owner. From what you've described, this doesn't seem to be the case on this occasion. It's hugely annoying, but it's not the dog's fault - it's the irresponsible owners.

I think I'd be inclined to approach the owners and voice your concerns. If this had no impact, I'd put it in writing to them along with a short record of the "offences". If this didn't work you'd have no alternative but to go the legal route as mentioned earlier in the thread.

As someone has mentioned however, a court order won't necessarily encourage the dog to shut up, but it will put it up to the owners to look after the dog properly. If they can't do that, they shouldn't have a dog anyway, and thata, perhaps, is at the crux of the matter.

Re: re

And call your local litter warden about the dog's hygiene habits.

Dogs ahve to be taught...

This is a subject dear to my heart...
Well ok, I'm being driven round the feckin bend by a dog next door.
And... I don't blame the dog.. I blame the neighbours..
Basically a puppy's not just for Christmas....
The eejits bought a dog to placate the kids... and havent a bog about how to mange a dog.. and obviously don't care.
We have nine (yes nine, they were gun dogs) dogs at home when I was growing up.. and we never had the problem.
Young pups can be trained. They need feedback, same as how you house train em you can bark train em as well. Every time the dog starts up late at night just lob a bucket of cold water over em. You'll only have to do it four or five times and they'll get the message.
Dogs a great, I love em, they are very intelligent and will be able to figure out for themselves when its ok to bark (like when someone actually hops over the wall into the yard) but you have to show em whats acceptable behaviour and what isn't
The whole issue next door to me is neglect, they bought a breed of dog that requires major amounts of excercise. They never walk it, leave it tied to the shed most of the time... and now and then they just let it off to run riot around the estate.. and you see the poor yoke bombing around the place bursting with energy for two hours straight ... its blatantly obvious the poor fecker needs reqular walkin and exercise...

So, don't blame the dog. Blame the so and so's who are sitting inside the (probably souble glazed) house ignoring their responsibility and not givin a This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language about their neighbours.

AS to how to tell the people who own the dog that this isn't on... well... if anyone can tell me how to not end up with trouble.. I'd appreciate it...

One slightly cheek thing I was thinkin of was to buy a device that emits a ultra high pitched blast of sound that onlydogs can hear. Its automatic, activated by the dog barking..... might just hide it in the shared hedge.. I reckon it'll be close enough. Saw it on www.cpc.co.uk

.

Another 'device' you could try is an air rifle.

Re: .

As always, the problem here is not the dog, but the owners/neighbours. Hooper, suggesting the use of an air rifle puts you in the same category as them in my book. I'd suggest you might get more joy out of calling the ISPCA than Garda, local authority or solicitor.

.

OBrien: Good man. I'd put me in that category too if I'd been serious.

Re: .

Excellent - you got some mug to take your bait and to disassociate yourself from the original comment! I responded like one of Pavlov's dogs there, didn't I. Just going to put my tail between my legs and whimper for a little while if you don't mind.....

.

I should of course point out that air rifles require a license in Ireland and unless you manage a 'kill-shot' (unlikely with a pellet) you will do little to reduce the level of barkage.

Re: >>Neighbour Problems - Noise etc.

Some other posts

Kathleen
Neighbours Overgrown Garden

My neighbours front and back gardens are completely overgrown and the grass has grown to about 3 ft high and covered in weeds. In fact, there is one weed in the centre of the front garden about five foot tall and looks like a tree. My garden is joined to theirs and all that divides us is a couple of hedging plants (not yet grown into hedge).

They own their house but do not maintain it and it looks completly run down (oil all over driveway, etc)

Would I be out of order to suggest that they might get the grass cut? I know it is their house and technically they can do what they want, but it is now gone so bad that I am embarressed to bring visitors to my house because it looks terrible. Even the postman chuckles to himself every morning going past!

I am not that friendly with the neighbours, just know them to say hello to, do not have any problems with them in general but this is driving me potty. We dont have a residents association.

Would I be out of order to have a quiet word?

I am thinking about selling my house and I am sure other people would also be put off by this.

Clubman
Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Er, you don't live next door to me by any chance...? I'll get the shears out tomorrow - promise!


Clubman
Neighbours Overgrown Garden

But seriously ... the best bet might be to try and broach the subject in a reasonable manner directly with your neighbours but if that's not possible or doesn't work then there are litter laws that apply to the maintenance of private property visible from a public area in case that's of any interest to you...

Litter and private property

The owner or occupier of property that can be seen from a public place, is also obliged to keep the property free of litter. This means that any outdoor area on your property visible from a public place must be kept free of litter. Failure to keep your property free of litter can result in a fine or prosecution by your local authority

Click to expand...

elderdog
Registered User
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Might they be getting set aside payments from the EU ?

MissRibena
Registered User
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Joking aside, I'm pretty sure a garden like this is better for the environment and wildlife than the manicured schemes we tend to go for.

I can understand how it's driving you potty but maybe you should concentrate on chilling out about it. You can't control everything - and it's not as if they are doing any harm or anything wrong. If they decided to clean up their act and install tons of garden ornaments, gnomes etc., this might not be to everyone's taste either. I think the world is gone bonkers on this stuff - my friend lives on an estate where she can only paint her house certain colours!! Personally I believe we interfer in each others lives far too much - live and let live.

Rebecca

collieb
Registered User

Dead right Rebecca,

The Cheek of Kathleen, or anyone else, paying 250k plus for a house and then giving out cos your lazy neighbour devalues it by 5 or 10k compared to other houses on the same estate. its all me, me, me with some people these days.

and please dont say this kind of things doesnt devalue a house - it does. If you were looking at two houses, both at same price, but one looks like george of the junge lives next doow - which would you buy?

and anyway, im sure if Kathleen wanted to live beside a weed infested field, she could bought a house in (offensive remark removed - please refrain from insults)

KAthleen, have loads of symnpathy for you. I would try the word in the ear approach, but if you dont get any joy, wait until they are out for the day, or better still a holiday, and simply cut the damn stuff yourself. At least the front.

MissRibena
Registered User

No need for the sarcasm collie.

I do have sympathy for the problem, I just believe the problem is more hers/yours rather than theirs.

Devaluation of your property is only an issue if you are selling. I'm sure if she was selling, then she could make an arrangement. Otherwise, as far as I'm concerned it's none of her business.

I live with neighbours on all sides of me with houses in varying states of repair but keep my own neat and tidy. I wouldn't ever dream of picking them up on these kinds of things. Maybe they have more important things to worry about than that state of their lawn.

Rebecca

N0elC
Frequent poster

Kathleen, have loads of sympathy for you. I would try the word in the ear approach, but if you don't get any joy, wait until they are out for the day, or better still a holiday, and simply cut the damn stuff yourself. At least the front

Click to expand...

I think your best bet might be to offer to cut it for them if they seem reluctant to help out, and then do so every few months, if its still a problem. I can't see that they'd object.

As for cutting it without their permission, or expressly against their wishes, well then you're into the issue of trespass.

elderdog
Registered User

A good place to go looking for an Urban Fox

Or should that be Urbane Fox ?

Marie
Registered User
all depends!

It depends on how you look at things! I was going ballistic a few years ago about the manner in which neighbours on one side of my "postage-stamp-size" garden were planting, and "destroying my fencing" in the process. Got myself in an awful state looking up the law etc.

They have now "let" the house and their rampant planting has burgeoned to the extent the people renting can't even get out there to use the clothes line (so the back door hasn't opened for a year!) What this has meant is the rambling roses have rambled, wild-flowers and grasses have seeded, the ivy has completdely covered their garden shed etc. Far from being a "nuisance" this extends my own garden, is peaceful and and is a haven for wildlife and nesting birds.

I agree with Ms Ribena that there's place for everything. Your neighbour's front garden would be described as a "wildflower meadow" on the trendy gardening programmes. Enjoy!

Kathleen
Overgrown Neighbours Garden

Thanks for the comments.

I dont think I can just chill and get on with it, there was a lot involved for me at the to buy a house in a particular area and do so because I wanted to live there.

I would have bought a cheaper house at the time if the state of repair of the other houses didnt really bother me. I think thats what buying your home is all about. If its not about that, why do people choose to live in better areas than others? Even when people are suggesting on this website about certain areas, the replies have been to go to the area and look at the general state of repair, ardens, grass verges, etc so I do think most people would have an issue about living next door to a tip.

I dont really want to clean their garden myself, I live on my own and have enough to do between work and trying to keep my own area tidy. There are five of them including two burly teenage lads, so surely one of them should clean the area now that schools are out for summer. If it cheeses me off so much I will do it, but only as a last resort.
think I will broach the subject and see how I get on.

Marie
Registered User
overgrown gardens

OK. If you really feel you can't live with it, there ARE Local Authority/Council By-Laws to ensure householders keep the environment in good order and don't cause harassment to others. You could consult your local Council Environmental Department, if your neighbours don't respond to you mentioning that the state of their land is distressing you.

All the best with it.

MissRibena
Registered User
Re: overgrown gardens

Kathleen

I see what you are saying and that might be what you expected, but it's not the way the world works. YOu can buy in the best of areas and find yourself beside a motorway or whatever 10 years down the line. You only have control of your own house. Just a word of caution though ... I'm not a ranting mental neighbour by any stretch of the imagination but if my neighbour called to my door about the state of my house/garden, I think would take offence and would make a point of not changing and would keep a wide berth from them in future and i have to say if someone mowed my lawn for me (as opposed to just being neighbourly and doing me a favour) they could forget it! Just be careful you don't use up valuable neighbourly political capital on such a minor issue.

Rebecca

piggy
Frequent poster
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

I have to say I'm a little surprised at some of the comments here to Kathleen's predicament.

She stated in her original post that "My neighbours front and back gardens are completely overgrown and the grass has grown to about 3 ft high and covered in weeds. In fact, there is one weed in the centre of the front garden about five foot tall and looks like a tree".

Now I'm sorry, but if my neighbours grass was up to 5 foot high I'd be standing at their front door and damn the neighbourly consequences. People need to have a certain level of decency when it comes to looking after their properties. It's very easy to say just chillout about the whole thing but when you're living next door to this it becomes a very different issue.

Kathleen, I wouldn't be afraid of tackling them over this, but perhaps you can find a way to do it that will preserve some sort of relationship with them. All out war is not in anyone's interests. Personally, I'd be inclined to make an anonymous complaint to the council about it. That way, they might do the first job of complaining to them about it on your behalf.

MissRibena
Registered User
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Piggy

I don't know how you are surprised. Why should you or Kathleen or I have the right to impose our aesthetic judgements on our neighbours?

If it was dirt, noise, smells, light etc., then I would have absolutely no problem with talking to my neighbour. However, the fact that I'm a tidy freak (which I am unfortunately) with a penchent for neat lawns is my problem, not my neighbour's.

This is a fundamentally different issue to a nuisance complaint.

Rebecca

piggy
Frequent poster
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Neat freak lawns and 5 foot high overgrown ones are two different things. I'd feel exactly the same as Kathleen.

We all live in close proximity to each other in Dublin so people have an obligation to keep their abodes in reasonable order in my opinion.

These things do drastically affect house prices. It's not fair to say that's only an issue if you're selling. How are you supposed to solve this issue after you've suddenly decided to sell and this has been going on for years?

A family member used to live beside people like this so I saw first hand what a nuisance and eye sore it was. They did sell, and it proved difficult to do so. The neighbours used to keep old bits of wood and scrap metal in their back garden too. It looked like a scrap yard when you looked out from the bedroom window.

zag
Administrator
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

But it's *their* back garden.

Where do we draw the line ? Maybe I hate blinds on windows and maybe the person 2 houses down hates curtains and we both feel that their presence lowers the tone of the area. What if we all started telling the person in the house between us that they can't have blinds *or* curtains because they are affecting house prices in the area ?

What about house colours ? If someone wants to paint their house electric pink it may be visually offensive to some people, but it's *their* house.

I agree that it may look poor, but I don't think there is any inherent duty on house owners to be tastefull and fit in with the rest of the road. It's nice to conform, sure, but there is nothing inherently wrong with a wild garden.

z

piggy
Frequent poster
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

It's nice to conform, sure, but there is nothing inherently wrong with a wild garden.

There is if it lowers the price of surrounding houses significantly.

Blinds and curtains would not fall under the area of acceptable decorum in my opinion.

Tommy
Moderator
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

There is if it lowers the price of surrounding houses significantly

Click to expand...

House price valuations are, by their nature, subjective - until and unless a property is sold. You are hardly likely to receive much sympathy from the Council or anyone else if this is the sole basis of your complaint.

MissRibena
Registered User
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

But that's only your opinion, piggy. Who makes you the arbiter of taste; blinds/curtains ok, long grass is not?

A bright pink house next door could equally reduce the price someone is willing to offer when it comes to a sale. I might offer more for a house with blinds than curtains if that is what i prefer. I might offer more for a house that doesn't have a landscaped garden, preferring to put my own stamp on a place. You do not have a "right" to your house price when it goes on the market.

In any case, is your house not your home before it is an investment and are you neighbours not your community? Kathleen only knows her neighbours to say hello to but feels she can comment on the height of their lawn! She doesn't know if there is some reason for it but just assumes they cannot be bothered (which is their right anyway, IMHO). However, there's nothing to say that there isn't another reason like; not enough money to fix the lawnmower, a tragedy in the family, marital problems, run ragged commuting half-way across the country... there are tons of reasons they may not have got around to it. Getting to know the people seems to come way behind their conformance to a particular idea of what constitutes a nice garden/area. An idea that there appears to be consensus on but IMHO the consensus only exists because most people are so busy keeping up with the Joneses being sheep or are afraid what their judgemental neighbours might say if they are seen to "let their place go". Get a grip I say, there is ten times more to life than the state of your neighbour's lawn or the potential price your house *might* fetch *if* you were selling it. I reckon if that's all you have to worry about, then count yourself lucky and go and find something more useful to do with your spare mental energies.

And as for measuring someone's "decency" by the state of their lawn ... it has to be one of the most depressing comments I've seen here in a while.

Rebecca

piggy
Frequent poster
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

But that's only your opinion, piggy. Who makes you the arbiter of taste; blinds/curtains ok, long grass is not?

You're right...much like everyone elses, it's just my opinion.

MissRibena
Registered User
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Exactly, so what gives you the right to impose your opinion on your neighbour who may be of a different (but equal) opinion?

Rebecca

piggy
Frequent poster
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

so what gives you the right to impose your opinion on your neighbour who may be of a different (but equal) opinion?

First of all, I'm not imposing my opinion on anybody. Secondly, if I was, I'd have the right to request my neighbours to sort their garden out because that'd be my opinion on the matter, for the reasons I've already outlined.

Do you think that people don't do anything because doing it would be just their opinion??

We simply don't agree on this matter.

MissRibena
Registered User
Re: Neighbours Overgrown Garden

Requesting your neighbours to change their garden to suit your opinion, is imposing your opinion on them, IMHO.

But you are right, we will have to agree to differ on this one.

Rebecca

JSmith
Overgrown Neighbours Garden

I have to say I would agree with Piggys comments.

Blinds, etc, might not be to everybodys taste but it is peoples own personal choices at the end of the day and that is their perogative.

Kathleen said that part of her problem is that apart fromthe overgrown lawn, there is oil etc spilled on the driveway and just left there. so it would appear that it is more than just an overgrown lawn.

This is not an issue of taste. Its an issue of dirt. It costs nothing to be clean. Theres no excuse for filth no matter what the circumstances.

And living shoe box style in Dublin as we all do, a bit of consideration goes a long way (from both sides) I dont think Kathleens neighbours are very considerate, so why should she not broach the subject. I certainly would have no hesitation in doing so.

Failing this, send those two mad women around from Channel 4 - you know the programme "How clean is your house"

Good Luck

Clio
Knocking boundary wall

I am considering building a conservatory. I have a 3 bed semi with an extended kitchen and propose building the conservatory between the kitchen and the boundary wall. I have had a few quotes, all with different views on how the boundary wall should be handled. My preference would be that the wall would be knocked and the supporting wall of the conservatory would act as the new boundary wall (on my side of the boundary, of course!). Pending agreement from the neighbours on knocking the wall does anybody know of any legal ramifications of this - should there be a written agreement rather than verbal? Or, am I better leaving wall as is and building inside it? All advice greatly appreciated.


Clubman
Knocking boundary wall

I presume you know that you will need planning permission for the erection of any permanent structure?

ajapale
Re: Knocking boundary wall

Hi,

you will need planning permission for the erection of any permanent structure

Click to expand...

Most local authorities exempt certain small scale developments such as conservatories form planning permission.

Clio,
Have you discussed this with your neighbour, perhaps they would like to do something similar? I have seen situations where a neighbour was not agreeable and the wall was built inside the existing boundary wall

ajapale

Clio
Boundary Wall

Thanks for your reply Ajapale. Yes, you are right about the planning permission - it is not required for small scale developments such as this. I haven't spoken to my neighbour as yet as I wanted to get some info on my options as some of the companies who have quoted me have said they will not touch the boundary wall regardless of whether I have agreement from the neighbours!

Laoise
Boundary wall

If the house is a semi and you propose building to the boundary wall, then it sounds as though you might be closing off any acess to the rear of the house from the front. Unless you have another rear entry to garden, this may have fire acess implications, could contravene building regulations or have insurance implications.

Clubman
Knocking boundary wall

Most local authorities exempt certain small scale developments such as conservatories form planning permission

Click to expand...

I stand corrected - sorry!

northie
Re: Knocking boundary wall

Currently in the middle of building works ourselves and one of the things we are doing is extending the kitchen to the boundary wall.

Had a chat with the neighbour about taking down the boundary wall, building our wall on our half of it and rebuilding their half wall with it.

Turns out he was considering a similar job in the next couple of months and has agreed to us taking down the boundary wall and building our foundations and wall directly on the boundary. This in effect means he owns half the wall and foundation and will tie into this with his extension.

He's delighted as now he doesn't pay for one wall and foundation (strictly speaking he should pay for half the costs but we let it go)

It is definitely worth checking out all the pros and cons of this as legally he owns half the wall.

I'm surprised at some of the companies refusing to touch the boundary wall as once you stay to your half of it and rebuild the other half wall there shouldn't be a huge probably, assuming you have agreed everything with your neighbour.

PMU
Registered User
Re: Knocking boundary wall

You will almost certainly have to knock the wall to lay the foundation of the external wall of the conservatory. You will also need your neighbours’ permission if your builder needs to enter their property to excavate the trench for laying the foundation and the foundation may stretch under their land. Your proposal that the wall of the conservatory should be the new boundary wall, but within your side of the boundary is probably the best but you will not be able to overlap their side of the boundary with guttering, etc., i.e. anything that could prevent them from building up to the boundary in the future. Normally, you don’t need planning permission for small extensions but there are conditions, and you can check out here if you are exempt: [broken link removed] It is essential that you confirm this as it will be very difficult to sell your property in the future if any unauthorised change to the building has taken place. Before work starts you should mark the position of the new external wall of the conservatory on the back wall of your house, agree with the neighbour that this will be the location of the external wall, measure and confirm the distance from the side wall of your neighbour’s house to the marked location, photograph it in case of future disputes, and contractually oblige your builder not to build the wall beyond this location.

Clio
Boundary Wall

Thanks to everyone for your replies, you've been really helpful and I now have a clearer picture of how I should proceed.

legend99

Bear in mind that the area under which you are exempt from planning must include the area of what you mentioned is the already extended kitchen....i.e. if that is say 10 square meteres, and the threshold for not needing planning is 20, you can only have a conservatory of 10 square metres. Those are only example figures mind.

Thats to stop people building say 5 extensions of say 19.99 square metres and claiming each is exempt from planning!

SlurrySlump
Your gutter is leaking.

Will the gutter/runoff be on your neighbours side and will you maintain it?

Re: >>Neighbour Problems - Noise etc.

Some other posts

angry
Neighbours

Can anyone offer advice on the following.....

Our neighbour a couple of doors up has build a 'garden shed' in his back garden. Now we knew when he started building that it wasnt just a garden shed he was building as it has PVC Windows and hall door etc. He never applied for planning permission and someone said that he doesnt need it if its under a certain height. Anyway the problem is that he has the 'garden shed' rented out to some friends of his son and they all have cars. The neighbours drive is quite small and the cars are parked all over our little cul de sac every night making it extremely difficult to get in and out of our own drive. Our gardens dont have any walls/gates and sometimes we have to drive over our lawn to get in our drive. This is annoying the hell out of me because a few months ago a friend of mine was visiting and parked outside my house and this neighbour snapped at him as she couldnt get her car out.
When our friends visit there is usually no room outside ours as all the street is taken up with the neighbours cars.
This neighbour is a builder and drives a van with a trailer which is tearing up the road in the cul de sac as its so heavy. When he is trying to reverse it into his own drive he has to drive it into my drive first to swing the trailer around with the result that where my tarmac drive meets the footpath is in bits.
I have asked him nicely a few times to stop doing this but he just scowls back at me.

Clubman
Neighbours

Not sure if you want advice on the planning or "nuisance" aspects of this situation. In relation to the former some developments are exempt from PP:



I presume that if a converted shed was to be rented for accommodation purposes then it would need to meet the relevant building regulations (available from DoE or perhaps on their website)

http://www.environ.ie/doei/doeihome.nsf?Open (www.environ.ie/doei/doeihome.nsf?Open)

I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done about the parking and traffic issues.

Trythis
Think about it.

Park your own car across your drive.
He cant turn in your driveway if your car is parked there.

Moneybags
Frequent poster
Re: Parking Issue

One solution might be to apply to the local authority to make the cul de sac residents-only parking. This means that anyone else would have to pay, perhaps some sort of pay and display arrangement.

This would require a vote in favour by a majority of the residents.
The downside can be that the local aothority will then restrict the amount of parking spaces to one per house, so there's no wasy that two-car households will vote for it.

PMU
Registered User
Re: Neighbours

All developments, unless specifically exempt under the Planning laws, require planning permission. An indication of where developments are exempt can be found on Dublin City council’s web site: [broken link removed] You are saying that your neighbour has erected what is in effect a domestic dwelling in his back garden. This would appear to require planning permission, but you need to phone your local planning officer to check if permission is required and if has been granted. If it has and it’s outside the time limit for making objections there’s probably nothing you can do. If the development requires planning permission your neighbour will probably ask for retention permission, and you should be able to object. But your objections should be framed in planning terms and not just on the nuisance caused by parking. For example, is there rear access to this development? If not, and there is a fire or accident how can the emergency services gain access to the development? Through your neighbour’s house? Does this dwelling cause the housing density to be exceeded, etc.? Does the development comply with building regulations, etc.? It would probably be better to make any objections through your residents association.

molly
noise levels from neighbours

moved into new house 4 weeks ago. recently neighbours moved in to the right hand side of us. they are renting the property. a few nights we have been able to hear very loud music migrating through from their back bedroom to our back bedroon. needless to say i am annoyed. however i would not like to rock the boat with my neighbours so i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how to approach this problem?

should we go through the estate agent as surely there is something in their contract as to playing loud music? or should we approach them directly and be very diplomatci about it all. however i'm afraid i will lose the rag

fatherdougalmaguire
Frequent poster
Re: noise levels from neighbours

First step would be to approach the residents yourself in a reasonable fashion. Appeal to their better nature.

If unsuccessful, you could try pursuing the landlord.

Failing that, you could serve them with a notice to meet with the district court clerk who may decide to issue an order on them.

For now, though, try the direct approach. You should also keep a diary of all instances should it result in you taking the court clerk avenue. Maybe try consulting with the local community garda/gardaí. They might be able to advise you but they can't take any action themselves. If you got them to visit while the noise is in progress, they could also serve as a witness to the situation should it end up with the court clerk.

Clubman
Re: noise levels from neighbours

I personally would be inclined to first try asking them politely but firmly to deal with the situation if it is a genuine nuisance. If they don't know that the noise is causing you grief then they are unlikely to do anything about it. If they refuse and you feel that you are in the right then there are other possibilities to consider:



However better to start with the more diplomatic approach before escalating things. It may not be necessary once they are aware of the problem.

molly
Re: noise

tried the diplomatic approach yesterday morning at 10am. Mother answered door in dressing gown - music was blaring from upstairs to feed the whole house. can't believe she had no idea.

last night went to bed early. could hear music from sons room through our wall. can't say it was very loud - could just hear the thumping beat. had to move rooms then as i couldn't stand it.

anyone have any suggestions for noise proofing the wall without have to structurally change the wall. i.e. can something be pumped in to the cavity via the attic. All i want is an easy quiet life. not much to ask for!

PGD
Frequent poster
Re: noise

you need to live in a detached house.
blame to guys who stockpile land around dublin and sell to property developers at high prices, and the property developers who build high density houses with paper thin walls.

Clubman
Re: noise levels from neighbours

"tried the diplomatic approach yesterday morning at 10am. Mother answered door in dressing gown"

Not being dressed at 10am on a weekend morning is hardly unusual in my opinion. Anyway, did she entertain your complaints at all?

"last night went to bed early. could hear music from sons room through our wall. can't say it was very loud - could just hear the thumping beat"

Do you mean that they turned it down compared to previous occasions and now it's really a case of normal sound transfer between adjoining houses?

cobalt
Registered User
soundproofing

anyone have any suggestions for noise proofing the wall

Click to expand...

See Father D's suggestions in .

sueellen
Moderator
Re: noise levels from neighbours

Hi Molly,

Subject close to my heart! Have the pleasure of living next door to a rented house and been there, done that etc.

I know you shouldn't have to but have you tried [broken link removed] or, if I was in your shoes, and desperate enough, I would give them a present of cheap infra-red headphones

On your question of insulation this thread might provide some info

Hope things go well for you because I know its very hard to cope with lack of sleep.

ear muffs
Noisy Neighbours

How would one go about measuring sound coming through the walls of a terrace. Am having nightmare scenario where neighbours are playing loud music at stages during the day - especially weekends when i am trying to appreciate my new house.

I have approached them and they say they do not play it at night which would be worse i know (but they have a family so of course they wouldn't). Now i want to measure the level of noise and possibly go back to the builders.

Would soundproofing cost much? I really am considering it as it really is stressing me out. I am also thinking of when we might sell on and if we show house and music is blaring we will never sell it.

Does soundproofing mean the electrics, skirting etc will have to move?

mo3art
Registered User
Re: sound

If your house is quite new, you might have recourse with the builders.

I would recommend you contact the builders and make them aware of the problem, invite them down on an informal basis and show them exactly where in the house the noise is a problem. If the builders skimped on insulation or plastering, the sound could be travelling very easily. Of if the doors or windows weren't sealed properly this could cause sound to travel too.

Also the fact that more and more people like wooden floors in their houses means that sound travels much easier from house to house. With carpets and wallpaper, these afford a better form of insulation from sound.

If the builder can't come up with a solution for you, contact your local council to come out and take a look. You'd be surprised how often this happens ;-) Recent changes in the building regulations make it illegal not to adequately sound proof from unit to unit. That's not to say you should hear nothing, but any noise from next door should be in the background.

Technically, our new home is sound proofed. That is, if all the vents on the windows are closed, it is very hard to hear anything that is going on inside the house. But we then risk carbon monoxide poisoning from our GFCH & a very smelly home. Catch 22.

HTH